A big gray horse with an even bigger heart, Snowman rose from obscurity to become one of show jumping's most beloved heroes. His rags-to-riches story began in 1956, when Harry de Leyer, a Long Island riding instructor, went shopping for potential school horses in Pennsylvania. Arriving too late for the auction, he spotted "rejects" being loaded onto a van bound for the slaughterhouse. Though bony, beat up and filthy, one plow horse showed enough spark to catch his eye. De Leyer made an offer, and for $80, the 7-year-old gelding was his. Soon, Snowman was meeting and beating the country's best jumpers everywhere he went. He'd clear anything from a 7'2 obstacle to another horse - and do it with care. Yet this child-friendly, 16h giant could still win a leadline class on the same day as sweeping an open jumper championship. Snowman was champion at the 1958 National Horse Show, winning the stake there the following year. In 1958 and 1959, he was named both the American Horse Shows Association Horse of the Year and the Professional Horsemen's Association Champion. "The people's horse," he made appearances abroad, became a television celebrity, and was the subject of several books. Even in retirement, Snowman remained a popular attraction at de Leyer's farm, where he died in 1977. Fifteen years later, he was inducted into show jumping's Hall of Fame. Snowman's legacy lives on as the subject of Elizabeth Letts' New York Times bestseller, The Eighty Dollar Champion, which tells his amazing Cinderella story, and in the movie released in 2016. [Harry and Snowman jump over a horse in a publicity photo, both seeming quite pleased with themselves! The other horse is also owned by Harry, and that's one of Harry's kids holding her.] Breyer's tribute model on the Idocus mold is done in flea-bitten grey with tiny flecks of color on his white coat. He wears dark front feet and buff hind ones. These are new inventory, straight from the manufacturer to our store, in their sealed boxes. Size: Traditional Breyer Model #1708
